Flush panel crank construction



y 8, 1958 J. YOUNG ETAL 2,842,010

FLUSH PANEL CRANK CONSTRUCTION Filed March 22, 1955 IN VEN TORS JULIUS YOUNG BY BENJAMIN W.COLMAN ATTO R N EY United States Patent FLUSH PANEL CRANK CONSTRUCTION Julius Young, Detroit, and Benjamin W. Colman, Berkley, Mich.

Application March 22, 1955, Serial No. 495,988

7 Claims. (Cl. 74--504) This invention relates to a flush panel crank construction, and more particularly to a flush construction in which a digitally operable element is flush arranged with an outer panel.

The invention comprises an outer panel having an opening, a revolvable chambered drum in said opening mounted on a shaft supported on a bearing plate, a digitally operable part or knob positioned in the chamber of the drum and having its digital end adjacent the plane of the outer panel, a protecting and finishing plate or recess panel about the part, which plate is shi-ftable against resilient means into the drum chamber to permit grasping of the part. When the part, which is eccentrically disposed in the drum with respect to the rotating axis of the drum, is moved, the drum revolves on its shaft.

One application of this construction is in window cranks for automobiles. The window operating mechanism is mounted on the drum shaft which is revolved by grasping the eccentric operating crank knob and driving the drum around in the panel opening.

One of the design problems in automobile interiors, as an example, is the projection of window crank knobs from the wall panel of the car. The knob catches and tears clothing or sticks into the side of the person sitting on the seat adjacent the knob. It rarely is positionable at a minimum of discomfort to the driver, and it is a source of annoyance generally to have it projecting out from the wall.

The instant invention therefore has for an object the provision of a flush type crank knob construction in which the operating features are in the plane of the wall, do not project outwardly beyond the wall, and are digi lly operable.

This application contains subject matter disclosed in applicants prior copcnding application, Serial No. 468,044, filed November 10, 1954-, for Flush Panel Construction.

Thes ""d other objects of the invention and features of construction will become more clearly apparent from the description given below, in which the terms are used for purposes of description and not of limitation. in the drawing annexed hereto and forming an integral part hereof-- Fig. l is a front elcvational view of the inventive construction in one form.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional View taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

'Fig. 3 is a front elevational view, similar to Fig. 1, showing a modified arrangement of the crank construction.

Pig. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing, the outer panel is arranged with an opening 12, in which is rotatably disposed a drum 14 mounted on a shaft 16. The outer panel at opening 12 may be arranged with a cylindrical housing 18 to encase drum 14, if preferred. A supporting plate or member 20 is so arranged as to ice 2 provide a bearing for shaft 16. Member 20 maybe mounted on housing 18, or may be otherwise mounted than as shown.

Drum 14 is disposed in the opening 12 adjacent the plane of the panel 10 to substantially fill the opening and provide the desired flush appearance. Drum 14 comprises the cylinder 22, base 24 and front facing plate 26'. These parts of the drum may be individually formed and arranged in relationship as shown, or they maybe integrally formed. The chamber defined by the drum 14' is designated by the reference numeral 27.

An opening 28 in plate 26 is arranged eccentrically to the axis of shaft 16. Of course, the further out this opening is placed the greater the crank arm and therefore the less unit force required to operate the crank. Each individual application, therefore, must be engineered dimensionally to suit the particular character and requirements of the job on which it is to be used.

Disposed in drum opening 28 is a digital knob or operating part 30 terminating at its digital end adjacent the plane of plate 26. Knob 30 may be rotatable or fixed, and it is mounted by a small shaft 32 on the drum base 24 as a preferred arrangement. It would seem to be the better construction for knob 30 to rotate on its shaft, as this would make it easier to use and operate. However, it may also be positively and non-movabl-y anchored to base 24.

A protecting and finishing panel or plate 34 having a hub 36 is arranged about knob 30 at its digital end in the drum opening 28. The protecting panel 34, or recess panel as it may be called, is disposed flush with the drum face 26 so as to present a complete flush appearance :to the entire construction. Recess panel 34is 'shiftable into chamber 27 against a resilient means, such as spring 38, which urges the recess panel into flush alignment with drum plate 26 and outer panel 10. Spring 38 .yieldingly resists inward shifting of recess panel 34, always tending to return it to its initial flush alignment.

When recess panel 34 is moved inwardly by the fingers, the digital end of knob 30 is exposed to gripping by the fingers. Moving the knob 30 on a circle about the axis of drum 14 causes the drum and its shaft 16 to revolve and thus operate a mechanism '(not shown) that may require such revolution.

As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the drum 14 has been re placed by a crank plate 40, and the recess panel 42 has been extended across the entire panel opening 12 replacing the drum face 26. Crank plate 40 is arranged to rotate on a shaft 16" which may be tubular as shown. Recess panel 42 is preferably provided with a guide pin 16 which is slidable in shaft 16". The function of pin 16 is merely to center the panel 42. Any other means of keeping it concentric in panel opening 12 may be used.

Operating part or handle 30 is mounted on plate 40 as before. Its mounting is eccentric to the axis of rotation of plate 40 and thus creates the crank or lever arm relationship. Operation of the modified flush panel crank construction is the same as for the drum. Recess panel 42 is urged inwardly against resilient spring means 38, exposing the digital end of handle part 30. Upon grasping handle 30, the plate 40 is revolved about its shaft 16 as a crank. Upon release of the handle, recess panel 42 is urged back into flush alignment with the panel 10 by spring means 38.

The flush appearance of a wall or panel is not broken by indentations or recesses often employed in crank arrangements. Further, the operating part or knob 30, though functioning exactly as crank knobs do at present, does not project beyond the plane of the outer panel and yet is easily available for gripping by the fingers.

Having described our invention in its simplest terms, it is to be understood that the details of construction may be varied in greater or lesser degree without departing from the essence of the invention nor from the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a digitally operable mechanism, a panel having an opening, a member rotatable in said opening on a shaft arranged normal to the plane of said panel, an operating part fixedly mounted eccentrically on said member having its digital end terminating adjacent the plane of said panel, a movable protecting and finishing plate arranged in the plane of said panel about said operating part, said plate being inwardly shiftable against resilient means to permit grasping of said operating part and to rotate said member by movement of said part.

2. The structure defined in claim 1, in which said operating part is mounted on said member substantially normal to the plane of said panel.

3. In a digitally operable mechanism, a panel having an opening, a member rotatable in said opening on a shaft arranged substantially normal to the plane of said panel, a digitally operated handle mounted fixedly and eccentrically on said member substantially parallel to the rotation axis of said member, said handle terminating at its digital end adjacent the plane of said panel, a movable protecting and finishing plate arranged in the plane of said panel about said handle, said plate being inwardly shiftable against resilient means to permit grasping of said handle for rotation of said member on said shaft, said resilient means urging said plate back into flush alignment with said panel and said handles digital end to provide a flush appearance in said panel.

4. In a digitally operable mechanism, a panel having an opening, a member rotatable in said opening on a shaft arranged normal to the plane of said panel, a digitally operated part mounted fixedly and eccentrically on said member, said part having its digital end terminating adjacent the plane of said panel, a movable protecting and finishing plate in said opening and substantially in the plane of. said panel, said plate having an opening through which the digital end of said part may pass, said plate being inwardly shiftable whereby said digital end projects through said plate opening outwardly of said plate to permit normal grasping thereof to rotate said member. I

5. In a digitally operable mechanism, a panel having an opening, a member rotatable in said opening on a shaft arranged normal to the plane of said panel, a digitally operated part mounted fixedly and eccentrically on said member, said part having its digital end terminating adjacent the plane of said panel, a movable protecting and finishing plate in said opening and substantially in the plane of said panel, said plate having an opening arranged about said digital end, said plate being inwardly shiftable so that said digital end extends outwardly of said plate to permit grasping of said digital end to rotate said member, and resilient means bearing upon said plate at the rear thereof urging said plate into flush alignment with said panel.

6. In. a digitally operable mechanism, a panel having an opening, a member rotatable in said opening comprising a hollow drum mounted upon a shaft, said drum having its front face in the plane of said panel, said face having an opening therein eccentric with respect to its axis of rotation, an operating part fixedly mounted on said drum having its digital and terminating in said face opening adjacent the plane of said panel and face, a movable protecting and finishing plate in said face opening about said digital end in the plane of said face, said plate being shiftable inwardly of said front face to expose said operating part and to permit grasping of said operating part to rotate said drum on said shaft.

7. In a digitally operable mechanism, an outer panel having an opening, a member rotatable in said opening comprising a plate mounted upon a shaft, said plate being substantially parallel to said outer panel and inwardly of said outer panel, a plate handle mounted fixedly and eccentrically on said plate and having its digital end terminating adjacent the plane of said outer panel, a movable recess panel in said outer panel opening about said digital end inwardly shiftable to permit grasping of said digital end as a crank handle to rotate said plate on its shaft, and resilient means between said plate and said recess panel yieldingly resistant to inward shifting of said recess panel and urging said recess panel toward flush alignment with said outer panel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 677,027 Garrett June 25, 1901 2,108,554 Berg Feb. 15, 1938 2,445,211 Drake July 13, 1948 2,680,383 Lahti June 8, 1954 2,727,406 Opocensky Dec. 20, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 7,191 Great Britain Mar. 26, 1908 f 07 

